Roberto Soldà was born in Valdagno (Vicenza), on May 28, 1959.
He started his football with Ravenna youth sector and then in 1978 made his official debut for the "Leoni" at regional level in the 6th tier. He played 46 games with 8 goals and the Giallorossi narrowly missed promotion both seasons.
In 1980 he moved to nearby Forlì in C1. He played a season for the "Galletti" finishing 9th. He made 29 appearances with 3 goals.
In 1981 he made it to Serie A when he joined Como. The "Lariani " however were relegated. He then stayed on in Serie B with a 5th place. He played 48 games for the Biancoblù.
In 1983 he joined Atalanta and immediately won promotion to Serie A under manager Nedo Sonetti. Soldà then stayed two more seasons finishing 10th and 8th. He played 81 league games with 4 goals.
In 1986 his positive performances earned him a place in the Juventus squad managed by former Lazio player Rino Marchesi. Soldà was signed to be Gaetano Scirea's successor, not an easy task. He played 27 league games but, like Juventus in general, did not have a great season. Juve finished with no silverware, a rarity in the 80's.
So in 1987 he signed for Hellas Verona in Serie A. He stayed two seasons playing under '85 Scudetto hero Osvaldo Bagnoli. The "Scaligeri" finished 10th and 14th. Soldà played 56 league games.
In 1989 he came to the capital and joined Lazio. He stayed three seasons. In his first, under Beppe Materazzi, the Biancocelesti finished 9th and he played 33 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
In his second season Lazio changed manager with the arrival of Italian legend Dino Zoff. Things went in a similar way with an 11th place finish. Soldà played 29 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
In 1991-92 Lazio came 10th and Soldà played 26 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia.
The following year, after the taking over of the club by ambitious Sergio Cragnotti's, Lazio brought in defenders Mauro Bonomi, Beppe Favalli, Luca Luzardi but in particular "libero" Roberto Cravero. In the autumn transfer window Soldà was sold to Monza in Serie B. He played under Giovanni Trainini and the Brianzoli finished 14th. Soldà played 27 league games and scored 2 goals.
He then retired at 34.
He then started a carreer as a manager. In 1993-94 he coached Chiasso in Switzerland in the 2nd tier but got relegated.
In 1997-98 he had a year with Montechiari (Brescia) in Serie D but was sacked in February , the Rossoblù then finished 3rd.
He then switched to being a technical director. He first worked with Ardens Cene and then after a merger with Alzano Cene (now Virtus Bergamo). From May 2013 he then worked for Ciserano (5th tier, in the Bergamo area). From 2016 he has been working for Falco Albino, a 6th tier club near Bergamo with a highly respected youth sector.
Soldà was a defender and usually played as a "libero". He was a physically strong player not particularly quick but with an excellent sense of position. He would dictate the game from the back and often even push up to midfield to start the play from there.
At Lazio he was the ideal player for the transitional period between the difficult years of Serie B, early years of Serie A and the increasingly competitive squads of the mid and late 90's (the year he left Lazio came 5th). He played a total of 93 games for the Biancocelesti.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1989-90 | 35 | 33 | 2 |
1990-91 | 31 | 29 | 2 |
1991-92 | 27 | 26 | 1 |
Total | 93 | 88 | 5 |
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